Mission

The National Indian Law Library (NILL) is a public law
library devoted to federal Indian and tribal law. Our mission is to develop
and make accessible a unique and valuable collection of information and to
assist people with their Indian law related information needs. Special emphasis
is placed on helping individuals and organizations who are working on behalf
of Native Americans and have the potential to positively influence their
lives.

Purpose

This collection development policy is intended to serve
as a guide to the acquisition and retention of materials and as a plan for
development of the collections of the National Indian Law Library. The policy
is based on the needs of our public patrons. Modifications to the policy
will be made as needed based on the changing needs of the library's patrons.

Service Community

All public library patrons are important and deserve high
quality service. However, library resources are limited and collection development
practices are focused on helping people who have the potential to have the
most positive impact on Native Americans. Types of patrons we serve are listed
below.

Indian Country Tribal attorneys and legal assistants
Tribal governments
Tribal college educators and students
Native American public Native American OrganizationsNative American BusinessesNative American PrisonersLaw Libraries and Law Schools Professors, librarians, students Government AttorneysPrivate AttorneysCollege/University Educators, non-law school, non-tribalResearchers, scholars, authors, museumsLibraries, non-law school, non-tribalCollege and University Students, non-law school, non-tribalPrimary School Educators and StudentsNon-Indian PublicNon-Indian Businesses

SELECTION PRIORITIES

The collection development policy is based on the mission
of developing a unique and valuable collection of Indian law related information
that meet our public patron's needs. Selection and acquisition decisions
are made by the Law Librarian and Assistant Law Librarian. Each document
type has specific evaluation criteria and a priority rating based on the
library's mission.

PRIORITY RATING DEFINITIONS

Comprehensive - An exhaustive assembly
of unique collections.

Intermediate - A collection adequate
to maintain knowledge of a subject area for general research.

Basic - A collection sufficient to introduce
and define a subject.

Funding and staffing levels impact collection development
and priority ratings may change as a result. Our mission states that we will "develop
and make accessible a unique and valuable collection." To this extent, we
have listed thirteen document types below in order of importance. Based on
our mission, our core or most valuable document types are listed first. In
general, document types listed near the top of the list will receive higher
priority than documents near the bottom of the list when funding and staffing
limit collection development.

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Seek
to collect all information available as well as updates on a regular basis
from tribal governments and tribal courts. Obtain copies in electronic format
whenever possible and permission to digitize and disseminate via Internet.
For tribes that provide these materials on their website and do not give
us permission to post too, establish a link to their resources from our website
and catalog.

Retention Policy: Retain current copies.
Provide superseded copies of codes and constitutions to CU
law library for archiving.

Reviewing Resources: N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE: TRIBAL COURT
DECISIONS

This area of the collection includes written opinions
from tribal courts of any level. Selection criteria relates to reported or
published opinions only. The
National Tribal Justice Resource Center (NTJRC) is responsible for selecting
and obtaining opinions for their Internet searchable database.

Selection Criteria:

- availability of documents from tribes or publishers

- opinions generally cited

- compilation of opinions indexed

- higher/highest courts a priority

- accuracy and quality of documents

- opinions not generally available via a free or low
cost electronic database

Priority Rating: Intermediate

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: NILL
is working with NTJRC to
create an Internet searchable database of tribal court opinions. NTJRC is
currently the lead party on this project and will be primarily responsible
for obtaining copies from tribal courts and Versuslaw.

Retention Policy: NILL or NTJRC will
retain all for current or future use.

Reviewing Resources: Library literature

DOCUMENT TYPE: FEE-BASED ELECTRONIC
DATABASES

This area of the collection includes electronic databases
such as Westlaw.

Selection Criteria:

- Relevancy of the information - reliable and significant
scope

- Subscription or hourly rate is cost-effective in comparison
to "paper" resources

- Technical and reference support of vendor

- Software ease of use

- Customer support

- Ease of access (telecommunications)

- Accounting features

- Help screens and logical organization of information

- Offers natural language as well as Boolean/proximity
searching

- Offers valuable and features and services not provided
by other vendors or publishers

DOCUMENT TYPE: REFERENCE

This area of the collection includes specialized reference
sources dealing with Native Americans and Indigenous peoples including: legal
and non-legal encyclopedia, indexes, directories, statistical sources and
maps.

Selection Criteria:

- potential to help answer reference/research questions

- pertains specifically to American Indian or indigenous
peoples

- non duplicitous of other titles

- similar, reliable information is not freely available
on the Internet

- favorably reviewed

- anticipated needs justify expense

Priority Rating: Basic to Intermediate

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Acquire
titles most appropriate to our patron needs and projected needs. Consider
purchasing annuals every few years. Severely restrict expenses in this area
in lean budget years. Acquire classic works.

Retention Policy: Keep superseded or old titles
only if they have significant historical value.

DOCUMENT TYPE: INTERNET
RESOURCES

The National Indian Law Library provides links to selected
resources on other websites in an effort to facilitate research on Indian
or tribal law. Before establishing a link, NILL evaluates each website based
on the following collection development criteria:

Selection and Evaluative Criteria:

- Must be highly relevant to information needs of our
patrons (relates to Indian law or important primary source legal information)

- Compliments or enhances the information on the NILL
site;

- Provides credible, and accurate information in a user-friendly
way (adheres to most but not necessarily all of these criteria)

- information is provided by an authority on the subject

- favorably reviewed site

- navigation of the site is logical and not difficult
for a novice Internet user to master

- site is stable with infrequent down times

- adheres to a policy of periodic review and updating
of content

- site states criteria for inclusion (or exclusion) of
information

Priority Rating: Basic

Specific Selection Guidelines and Strategies: Develop
our own cataloging policies and procedures relating to cataloging Internet
resources. Catalog electronic versions of titles in our collection by including
a website link in the website field of our web online public access catalog
(OPAC). Catalog other relevant materials not held in our collection that
may or may not have a print counterpart.

Retention Policy: Delete site records that no longer
exist or no longer meet the majority of selection requirements. Check site
links on a regular basis.

DOCUMENT TYPE: INTERGOVERNMENTAL
AGREEMENTS

This area of the collection includes any tribal-state,
tribal-federal, tribal-county, etc. compacts or agreements on any subject.

Selection Criteria:

- availability of documents

- permission granted, if needed to distribute copies
and to disseminate via Internet

- accuracy and quality of documents

- documents are not readily available elsewhere

Priority Rating: Intermediate

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Seek
copies in electronic format or best possible copy and omit gaming compacts
since many of these are freely available on the Internet and do not relate
to NARF's mission. Establish links to gaming compacts on NILL website, but
do not catalog. Follow other guidelines and strategies under "Tribal Self-governance."

Retention Policy: Retain current agreements.

Reviewing Resources: N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE: LAW REVIEWS/PERIODICALS

This area of the collection includes law review and legal
periodical articles dealing with American Indian law issues.

Selection Criteria:

- article is at least five pages in length and is indexed
in Index to Legal Periodicals or LegalTrac.

- pertains to American Indian law

Priority Rating: Intermediate - Comprehensive

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Locate
Indian law articles on a regular basis in Index to Legal Periodicals on
Westlaw and LegalTrac on CD-ROM at CU law library. Purchase law review issues
that contain more than one Indian law article. Catalog articles not obtained
and mark them "Indexed only" in the catalog note field. If possible, practical
and in compliance with copyright, purchase rights to house copy of single
articles in collection. Whenever possible, create hypertext links from indexed
articles to full text on the Internet as per "Internet Resources" selection
policy above.

Retention Policy: Weed outdated articles when space
is needed and where the law has significantly changed.

Reviewing Resources: N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE: LEGAL BRIEFS & PLEADINGS

This area of the collection includes briefs and pleadings
from NARF cases as well as cases NARF supports through amicus briefs and
Indian law cases from U.S. Supreme Court.

Selection Criteria:

- pleadings were received in past and never cataloged

- legal issues are Indian law, not just case involving
Native American

- pleadings are substantive - exclude most motions, affidavits,
etc.

- availability of documents from attorneys

- costs associated with obtaining copies and shipment

- issues of case are related to NARF's mission

- priority for NARF cases and NARF amicus cases

Priority Rating: Basic to Intermediate

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Obtain
copies of briefs and pleadings from NARF legal assistants or attorneys, and
reliable electronic sources. NILL will consider attaching full-text electronic
copies of pleadings to the OPAC record or link to freely accessible and stable
websites. Create hypertext link to US Supreme Court case information in our Supreme
Court Review.

Retention Policy: Retain all.

Reviewing Resources: N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE: NATIVE
AMERICAN MONOGRAPHS

This area of the collection includes nonfiction works
relating to American Indian law.

Selection Criteria:

- potential to help answer reference/research questions

- pertains specifically to Native Americans

- non duplicitous of other titles (currency and scope)

- similar reliable information is not freely available
on the Internet

- favorably reviewed

- written by respected authors

- anticipated needs justify expense (hot topic area or
new area of interest)

Priority Rating: Basic

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Acquire
titles most appropriate to our current and anticipated patron needs including
titles that represent different points of view. Catalog full or partial table
of contents and consider including publisher abstract. Acquire classic works
written by well known and highly respected authors.

Retention Policy: Keep superseded or old titles
if they have significant historical value, otherwise donate or recycle. Donate
fiction titles and other non-legal titles to other tribal or public libraries
when space is needed for other resources.

Reviewing Resources: See sources listed under "Reference" above.

DOCUMENT TYPE:
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

This area of the collection includes congressional hearings
and reports.

Selection Criteria:

- received through Documents Expediting Project

- available space

- pertains to an Indian law issue

Priority Rating: Basic

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies:Committee
reports are the most important legislative documents for legislative history
research. The Thomas website offers free access to committee reports from
the 104th Congress. Westlaw also offers access. Selected committee reports
and other materials are also offered through our subscription to United
States Code, Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN) since the
1950s. University of Colorado has full repository of legislative materials.
Catalog materials coming to us through the Library of Congress Documents
Expediting Program and all other materials relating to Native Americans that
we have stored in-house.

Retention Policy: Keep hard copy of all documents
except weed when space is needed and documents are freely and reliably available
from an electronic source or duplicated in our Law Library Microform Consortium
collection.

Reviewing Resources: N/A

DOCUMENT
TYPE: ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS

This area of the collection includes regulations, Executive
orders, Solicitor General opinions and regulations, government manuals, federal
recognition petitions and findings and other documents.

Selection Criteria:

- potential to help answer reference/research questions

- cost and ease of obtaining documents

- not easily obtained elsewhere - available on a free,
reliable Internet site

- available space

- pertains to an American Indian law issue

- available from our flat-fee electronic service

- available in federal depository libraries

Priority Rating: Intermediate

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Rely
on Access GPO and Westlaw for Code of Federal Regulations and Federal
Register and other administrative determinations. Rely on BIA website
for recognition documents but do not catalog them. Acquire and catalog any
petitions for recognition and subsequent responses that NARF is involved
in. Catalog documents received through Documents Expediting Project. Establish
links from the catalog to freely available Internet copies of documents such
as relevant General Accounting Office Reports and committee reports received
through the Documents Expediting Project.

Retention Policy: Keep hard copy of all documents
except weed documents that are freely and reliably available from an Internet
source when space is needed. Retain indexing and hypertext link for Internet
copies.

Reviewing Resources: N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE: HISTORICAL
AND CULTURAL

This area of the collection includes non-fiction book
titles dealing with history and culture of Native Americans.

Selection Criteria:

- pertains specifically to Native Americans

- classic works

- favorably reviewed

- written by well known and respected author(s)

- not duplicitous of other titles

Priority Rating: Basic

Specific Collection Guidelines and Strategies: Omit
or severely restrict expenses in this area in lean budget years.

About NILL

NILL is not tax-supported and relies on generous people like you. By donating, you help ensure that the library continues to provide free resources, expand its collections, and pursue innovative digital initiatives. Your gift, no matter what size, shows your support for what we do.